Vanity Fair Short Essay - Answer Key

1. What is the setting of the novel and what idea do we get about the characters of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley as seen in chapter one?

The novel is set in the 1850s in England. The narrator tells us that Amelia Sedley is a very well liked and delightful person, as opposed to Becky Sharp, whose very name says it all; very cunning and disliked by the staff and student body of the boarding school.

2. What else do we get to know about the character of Becky Sharp when she visits the Sedleys?

Becky Sharp is a cunning person who has a tremendous abilities to convince people to give her what she wants. On seeing the Sedley's wealth, she immediately begins to fantasize a wealthy lifestyle for herself by marrying Joseph Sedley. She even pretends to show false interest in everything Indian because Joseph Sedley is stationed in India with the East India Company's Civil Service.